South Korean Health Ministry Says MERS Outbreak At ‘Crossroads’ With 4 New Cases; 2 Hospitals Close To Prevent Further Spread

Jun 24, 2015

Agence France-Presse: South Korean hospitals suspend services as MERS outbreak spreads
“Two major hospitals in South Korea’s capital suspended services to patients on Wednesday in a bid to stop the spread of MERS after four new cases of the deadly virus were reported…” (6/24).

New York Times: Samsung Heir Apparent Apologizes for Hospital’s Role in MERS Outbreak
“The man being groomed to run Samsung Group, the largest of South Korea’s family-controlled conglomerates, apologized Tuesday for a Samsung hospital’s failures in dealing with the country’s outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The hospital, Samsung Medical Center, has been at the heart of the outbreak, which has killed 27 South Koreans. Of the country’s 175 confirmed cases of the virus, known as MERS, 85 were found to have been infected at the hospital, which before the outbreak was widely considered the country’s best…” (Sang-Hun, 6/23).

Reuters: With more MERS cases, South Korea says outbreak at crossroads
“South Korea’s health ministry, which reported four new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Wednesday, said the outbreak was at a crossroads, backing off from its earlier view that the spread of the often-deadly virus had leveled off…” (Park, 6/24).